Come Back Be Here
by Seraph's Blade
Summary: I heard my father and mother's hushed voices, talking about me, my aunt still whispering to me even though I wasn't really listening, and I heard footsteps. I could hear shouts drifting upwards from the street to my window, the sound of cars and birds singing. I heard life go on despite me. And I wondered when I would be alright enough to keep up.
1. Prologue

Here we go guys, reset.

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"See there's this place in me where your fingerprints still rest, your kisses still linger, and your whispers softly echo. it's the place where a part of you will forever be a part of me."

~ Gretchen Kemp

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"My parents talked to me today…"

"Oh? What happened?"

"They think it would be…good for me to spend some time with my aunt in California."

"Wait, Cali-California?! But that's in America! Phi you can't!" my best friend wailed into my ear despairingly.

"They're not really giving me a choice, I…" My throat constricted and I choked back a fresh wave of tears, "I'm so sorry, it's my fault, I—"

"No, please don't cry," she begged, though her own voice was beginning to sound hoarse, she was going to burst into tears any second now just like me. "Phi, please don't go…I need you, you're the only—" She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence before a gut wrenching sob forced it's way to the surface. Hearing her crying was what did it for me, I started bawling and pretty soon it was just waterworks all over the place.

"Look, I'm trying to make the best of this," I couldn't believe my parents were making me do this; shipping me from France, my _home_, to another _country_. This was beyond just moving to another city where I'd have been placed into a new school, a new neighborhood I'd have to learn to navigate. No, at least if it was just that, I'd still be able to visit my friends, they'd be just a drive away. And everything I'd known would be only so far, still in reach. But this, now there was an ocean and sky to cross which was infinitely more expensive than paying for gas money, there was no paycheck I would ever receive from my little job at the café that could pay for that. Not to mention I was soon to be unemployed in light of recent events…

"I know, I know. Jeez, I'm sorry I'm just making things worse. Blubbering like a baby over here," I could hear her sniffle on the other end, trying to compose herself. She sighed sadly and stayed very quiet for a while before speaking again, "I'm going to miss you so much. B-But we can still call each other? Maybe even video chat?"

I lifted my gaze and stared at myself, my vanity only mere feet away from my bed, but I could still see how terrible I looked. My eyes were red and irritated from forcefully rubbing away the salt water tracks flowing from the corners, my face was pale and everything about my hair told you I was at my wits end, a tangled purple and black knotted mess all tied up in a small harsh bun. The shirt I was wearing under my hoodie wasn't even mine and it was too cold to be wearing my favorite pajama shorts; I wasn't exactly camera ready.

"Of course," I said as I swiped at my pink stuffed up nose, I really needed some tissues, or a big tub of chocolate ice cream… "Hey Synth I should go, I need to start packing. I'll call you later, promise." Just as I hung up there was a knock at my door.

"Hey Angelface." My head snapped up and I saw the very woman who I would stay with for however long my parents deemed fit for my recovery. "Mind if I enter your pit of despair? It's quite musty," she crinkled her nose.

"Whether or not you enter with my consent makes no difference seeing as you will veto whatever I request of you if it's not what you want to hear," I muttered thin lipped.

"Save the 'tude for your folks honey," she tilted her chin defiantly, her stare hard as a marshmallow. "Just for that snark I _will_ do as I please," she stated primly, walking straight to my window and opening it, letting all the light inside, allowing all the ironically cheery sunlight to infiltrate my darkness.

My aunt was a strange woman to be honest, she'd been offbeat her entire life. My mom always said their parents were too hard on aunt Auburn, and my mother felt it was all her fault. Where my mother was academically strong, aunt Auburn matched with a talent for the arts. Something my grandparents thought was a frivolous waste of time.

"You know Angelface, it's always a better idea to hit the mall when they're having big sales than to hit up your pals Ben and Jerry. Sure they have good intentions but they over indulge the ladies too much and they're not the ones who end up wearing sweat pants after finishing a pint of their finest flavors."

"Like I need relationship advice from you, when's the last time you had a boyfriend? When's the last time you even went out on a _date?_" I scoffed bitterly. I didn't mean it, but lately all I seemed driven to achieve was making others as miserable as me, if not that, then to at least make them feel a little bad about themselves. Just like me…

"Yeah okay," she stared at me shrewdly, then placed a hand under her chin in a contemplative manner, "I'm sensing some negativity, maybe even some deep seated issues, but then again, it's been a while since I've psychologically analyzed someone. Took that up in high school," she chirped giddily. "Ugh…my teacher was hot, I could never get anything done," she shrugged. When I didn't say anything in reply, she came over and sat down next to me on my bed while I followed her with my gaze through puffy eyes. "Whatever this boy did, I'll never forgive him for stealing the stars in your eyes, Angelface."

I felt my lips quiver and tremble as I fell into my aunt's lap, letting the worst sounds imaginable escape me, my body shaking, my hands clenched together above my heart so tight my knuckles turned white. She murmured into my hair holding me close to her, running her hand from the top of my head down to my back soothingly, telling me everything would be alright, that there was still time for me.

At one point I heard the door downstairs slam, I heard my father and mother's hushed voices, talking about me, my aunt still whispering to me even though I wasn't really listening, and I heard footsteps. I could hear shouts drifting upwards from the street to my window, the sound of cars and birds singing.

I heard life go on despite me. And I wondered when I would be alright enough to keep up.

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**A/N: **

Whew... okay, haha. That went well I think.

This is my rewrite of CBBH as you guys who have read the original know, but I'm determined to get you to shift over here and fall in love with this just like you did when I first started. So, I'm gonna ask you guys to follow and leave a review for me please? XD Because...I've decided I'm going to delete the old Come Back Be Here to... _encourage_ you guys to read this story.

You guys may notice some changes and that's kind of the point. I don't think I'll be going back and forth between Castiel and Seraphique's POV, it was really difficult for the transitions so I'm going to stick with Sera's voice. But maybe I'll write special chapters with a different voice every now and then to surprise you.

Anyway I hope you've all been well and I'm so happy to start writing again, huge thank you to my new beta and for those who expressed interest in helping me out, you're amazing.


	2. The Golden State

This chapter took a lot longer than I wanted it to but my computer decided to update and not save it halfway through writing it -_- But here it is, I hope you guys like it.

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"See there's this place in me where your fingerprints still rest, your kisses still linger, and your whispers softly echo. It's the place where a part of you will forever be a part of me."

~ Gretchen Kemp

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**The Golden State**

I would not be living with my aunt.

I found out just a few days before I would get on a plane and leave for California. Something my parents had neglected to tell me, but apparently I was too fragile to handle any more information that would affect me 'negatively'. Which was dad-speak for: he didn't know what to do with an inconsolable and hysterical teenage daughter who wouldn't stop crying.

_2 days earlier_

Standing in the middle of my room, I stared at the ghostly sheer white curtains that were billowing softly from the barest whisper of a breeze blowing through my open window. It was so empty, down to the bare bones with my lonely bedframe completely stripped, my dresser drawers were pulled open no longer filled with any manner of contents except for maybe dust, and my closet door gaping wide with not one article of clothing inside. My pictures and posters had been taken down from my walls, leaving lighter squares of paint in their places, the only indication they'd been there at some point in time.

My mother appeared in the doorway just about to say something before halting, taking in this forlorn picture for herself and I thought in that instant she could finally see for herself what they were doing to me.

"Your hair is looking better and better every day, sweetie," she said instead, attempting to cover up her pause by coming over to pull her fingers through my now black strands, the very same dark tresses I'd inherited from her.

I stepped out of her reach, watching her face fall. I felt bad and for a quick second was sorry that I'd been treating my parents so coldly for the past few weeks. I'd refused to sit with them at dinner, mumbling some excuse as to why I couldn't hang out with them, and at times completely ignoring them. I'd see the hurt in their eyes, as well as love for me no matter how disrespectful I was.

But then I'd remember that if they'd just left me alone, let me go about my business as best as I could instead of taking matters into their own hands, I'd be fine. They didn't need to send me away; didn't they know that this was normal? People got their hearts broken all the time all over the world. Moving wouldn't make it any better, the pain would still be there; it would still keep me up at night in the form of unrelenting tears and memories.

"Yeah, well the purple was getting old…" I muttered, running my hand through my wet locks, dripping water droplets down my back.

"Honey! Where do these go?" My mom and I looked up and saw my dad struggling to carry two boxes filled with my junk, mementos I'd kept over the years and some records I'd collected around middle school. He looked like he was one step from crashing into a wall and dropping everything.

"Dad, c'mon seriously," I rushed over to him and grabbed them both, balancing the weight evenly. "Don't break my things."

"I wasn't going to drop them!" he cried indignantly.

I scoffed.

"I wasn't!" He glared at me, taking off his glasses and wiping them with the hem of his sweater before pushing them back up the bridge of his nose. "Anyway, your mother and I have a surprise for you."

"I'm not exactly in the mood for any more 'surprises' so, can you not?"

"We're putting you in an apartment," he continued choosing to ignore my little jab.

"Why?"

"We feel that this will prepare you for adulthood. It will show us that you have the responsibility it takes to look after yourself properly, of course your aunt will still be checking in on you to make sure you're still alive." My mom came over to stand beside him, the perfect picture of support with her arm wrapped around his middle, smiling reassuringly at me.

"Great, glad you think so highly of me," I rolled my eyes before snatching up my jacket hanging on the edge of my bed's framework then slipping my arms into the sleeves smoothly.

"Where are you going?" they frowned at my lack of enthusiasm.

"I'm done here, I have one last day to say goodbye and I'm not going to waste another minute of it _here_," I cut scathingly, not giving either of them a chance to 'young lady' me as I wrapped my scarf around my neck already rushing out the door. I didn't give the house so much as a backwards glance, stepping around the movers and breaking out into a run to get away. As if I could run from the plane, from my parents' final decision, I just wanted to run away.

* * *

"Sera come look at your room! It has the most adorable bay window!"

I grimaced, picking up my feet and forcing myself to walk up the stairs of this two story apartment complex. I had the whole top floor to myself, in other words way too much space for me to hang around in. But I figured I could throw a hell of a party where people would break my shit and throw up on the carpet. Not like I cared about the place anyway.

"I have no idea where you are," I rolled my eyes when I finally made it into the living room. A big open area with color coordinated furniture and a flat screen mounted on the wall complete with entertainment center. There was this open concept about the layout, with the kitchen opening up into the living room and a hallway leading towards the back where the bedrooms and two bathrooms could be found. I think I even remember my mother saying there was room for a small library or studio if I wanted. "I think I'm going to go outside."

I stepped out and blew my bangs away from my face in a huff, dangling my arms over the metal railing that stretched from one end of the building to the other. I looked down, gauging whether or not I could succeed in killing myself if I jumped or just end up in the hospital really, really hurt. I sighed and was just about to head back inside when something caught my eye, something blue and sleek pulling into the small parking lot a few spaces away from the moving truck and my mother's rental car. A very familiar blue civic of the Honda variety.

_No way…_

_Yes way._

The second that curly auburn hair appeared next to the opening door, sunglasses propped on her head like a crown I almost tripped and broke my neck in my rush to barrel as forcefully as I could down the stair well into her.

"Phi!" she squealed breathlessly, hugging me tightly to her and crushing my lungs in kind. "I missed you so much, it's only been a lifetime!"

"Synth." It was all I was capable of saying. My best friend was here, in _California. _"How did you even _get here?_" She'd worked with me at the café after school with the same pay as me, she most definitely could not afford her own plane ticket especially with how much shopping she liked to do. All I could figure was maybe she'd somehow managed to stow away in some cargo hold which she was crazy enough to do and make sure she had provisions to last her a month at least. But that seemed just a little bit unlikely…

"Didn't your mom tell you?" she loosened her hold on me but continued to grip my shoulders firmly, her face quizzical. "I'm staying with you. I'm enrolled at your new school and everything, aunt Auburn has temporary guardianship over me while I'm here just like you."

"You're staying with me? _Here?_" Suddenly the spacious living quarters made more sense. "What about your mom?" Mrs. Barnett wasn't the most flexible of parents, which always struck me as odd seeing as she was one of the most whimsical artists I knew. She was all fluttery motions and airy open facial expressions that could harden to impenetrable stone with a snap of her slender fingers. There was no way she'd let one of her children move halfway across the globe just to console a friend.

"She saw how bent up I was about you leaving and told Evie she was worried I wouldn't be able to cope with…you know—my track record and all…" she trailed off, her eyes glazing over slightly, worryingly vacant.

"I'm glad you're here," I said, pulling her back from wherever she'd just gone and silently thanking the woman who had given birth to this individual. "Do you have anything in your car that you need help with?"

"Just some clothes and toiletries, but I can get those. Just go and talk to your mom. I'm sure she'll fill you in on the whole thing." We smiled at each other and finally let go so I could find my mom back up stairs.

She was in the kitchen when I came back, stocking up the cabinets with plates and the drawers with utensils.

"Synth's here." I went over to an open box on the counter filled with the bubble wrapped china that she hadn't gotten to yet and began pulling them out of their safety cushions for her to put away.

"Oh great does she need help?" she turned away from me trying to hide her smile.

"Is this supposed to be another surprise or was _she_ the surprise all along?" I asked.

"You never did give your father time to finish."

We continued placing dishes into the cabinets in silence as I stubbornly tried to piece together the missing information I hadn't been told because I'd wanted to storm out dramatically. But that's the price you had to pay for flair, you ended up looking completely ignorant and stupid if you didn't do it correctly.

There had to be some catch to this. Was it no complaining about the move? Maybe it was only a simple hope that I would stop moping or at least get better with my best friend right by my side. But I couldn't shake the feeling that maybe this wasn't meant to be some form of bribery though, that maybe this was my parents' way to make amends and leave me with a real piece of home in a place so far from it.

"Thanks mom…" I murmured.

* * *

When the apartment was finally filled with the rest of its new furnishings it didn't seem so big. It was actually kind of perfect. But looking around I knew I would be spending the majority of my time in my new room, the only familiar place in the apartment that would both comfort and torture me.

Synth's room was towards the middle of the hallway, the closest bedroom to the bathroom where she'd be locked in for a couple of hours every morning to shower and put herself together before she'd even set foot outside the door. She claimed the only person who understood her was Disney's Dylan Schoenfield. I just thought Matt Prokop was cute.

"Your father wanted to be here but it didn't make sense to buy more plane tickets."

"It's fine, we did a good job on our own," I was draped on a dark purple couch, one leg hooked over the back of it with my left foot barely brushing the carpet and my arms thrown above my head to dangle carelessly.

"Did you girls check the school's website for directions on how to get there? If you didn't I have the directions written down already, I know the paper's around here some-"

"Sweet Amoris's _only high school's_ location is locked in, Mother. I cracked under the supreme curiosity and looked at it. I think we'll be able to find it and if everything's already taken care of, all we'll have to worry about is finding our classes after picking up schedules." I peeked over at Synth who had fallen asleep on one of the armchairs, her head lolling to the side unsupported. She was still a little jetlagged.

"Oh! I have your student I.D.'s in my purse too. I'll leave those on the kitchen counter for you okay honey?"

I nodded my acknowledgment; I could barely manage anything more.

"You're going to do great here Sera… You'll make new friends, there's so much more to California than you think. You'll love it here, both of you."

I felt my mom press a kiss to the top of my forehead, feeling myself slipping away from consciousness.

I was so tired and sleeping seemed to be the only solace I would find for a while. So I let myself fall into its waiting embrace.

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**A/N: **I hope you guys enjoyed this update! Big thanks to my beta, the talented lostconcoctions! I'm sure you're all very familiar with her and her amazing fics. If you're not you should definitely go give those a read, you won't regret it. Thank you guys so much for your continued support, please leave me reviews on what you guys think about the changes and click that follow button :)

I'm hoping to shed some more light on why Synth's able to be here with Sera next chapter so that will be the first chapter that is _not_ in Sera's voice so pretty excited to see how it goes.

OH AND! AND AND AND! I have made a tumblr as some of you who check out my profile may know (a couple of you are actually following me so that's cool) and I really like the option for asks. I think it's a better way for you guys to get to know me personally as well if you're curious other than just about CBBH, but you guys can ask me about both there and I think it would be a great way for me to interact with you. But yes, the link to that is in my profile so feel free to go and check it out!


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